Diversity Matters!
The newsletter of the Inclusive Excellence Committee and
Multicultural Interest Group
Spring 2015 | Vol. 4, No. 3
Welcome to the spring issue!
Larissa D’Abreu & Pilyoung Kim, Guest Editors
Welcome to the Spring 2015 Diversity Matters! This is our 3rd installment of the
newsletter for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Diversity Matters! is a collaborative effort between the Inclusive Excellence
Committee and the Multicultural Interest Group. The goal of our quarterly
newsletter is to highlight some of the multicultural work being conducted by
our in our com-munity. In addition to recognizing the important work that is
already happening, we hope that this newsletter will help foster collaboration
among members of the Department of Psychology and ongoing engagement
with the broader Denver community.
In this issue, we are excited to include an article by Dr. Anne DePrince, the
Inclusive Excellence (IE) Committee chair, detailing the work done by the IE
committee, which includes significant and positive changes to promote IE in our
department. Mr. Skyler Leonard, a clinical graduate student, shared a summary of the Multicultural Interest Group’s
work this year. We appreciate the MIG’s leadership in work to engage with the community. Finally, Mr. Daniel Mason, a
Research Coordinator of the Family and Child Neuroscience lab, described and reflected on Dr. Gary W. Evan’s visit as a
Marsico Social Science Visiting Scholar. Dr. Evan’s visit was an exciting event to generate rich discussion among
undergraduate and graduate students and faculty about the effects of poverty on child development. We hope this
newsletter encourages and inspires all of you to further engage with and appreciate inclusive excellence both
professionally and personally.
Larissa D’Abreu, Clinical Psychology Graduate Student
Pilyoung Kim, Developmental Area Psychology Faculty
In this Issue:
Taking Stock of Inclusive Excellence
Activities…………………………………………………………………………2
MIG Volunteer Events Pick up Speed………………………..…4
Marisco Social Science Visiting Scholar……………………...5
Inclusive Excellence Calendar………………………………………6
Diversity Matters!
Page |2
Taking Stock of Inclusive Excellence Activities
Anne P. DePrince, PhD
Professor
At a recent Inclusive Excellence (IE) Committee meeting, we started talking about changes that had occurred in recent
years in the department and the degree to which we successfully communicate those changes. On the heels of that
conversation, the summary below takes stock of recent IE-related changes.
It Takes a Village. While the IE Committee and Multicultural Interest Group (MIG) have both existed in some
form or another for over a decade, the two groups have been increasingly active and collaborative over the
last several years. For example, the Diversity Matters newsletter is a collaboration between these two groups,
which targets elevating awareness of and conversations about strategies for IE in our department.
Using Data to Inform Policy and Practice. Around 2011, the IE Committee asked faculty and graduate
students to report on their perceptions of IE considerations in faculty and graduate student and the
curriculum. Those early data led to concrete changes, such as the development of this newsletter. The first
survey revealed exciting examples, shared by students, about how faculty were creatively and effectively
integrating IE into the curriculum. To share such innovations and practice more broadly, Diversity Matters
was born.
Graduate Student Recruitment. Several years ago, two notable changes happened in graduate student
recruitment. First, graduate students from the IE Committee and MRG organized to present information on IE
activities in the Department to applicants during interview days. Second, the Clinical Area piloted (and now
implements annually) a supplemental essay in the application that asks applicants to write about how IE,
broadly defined, informs their thinking about research and/or clinical work. Both of these changes began to
illustrate the value of IE to applicants before they arrived on campus.


Intra-departmental collaborations/synergies, Inclusive excellence, and fit with program goals as
defined by job ad
Finally, the faculty voted to include an interview slot in each candidates’ schedule (regardless of
research/teaching interests) with the Associate Provost or Assistant Provost for Inclusive Excellence.
This meeting allows each candidate to learn about DU’s commitment to IE, including related funding
opportunities (e.g., IRISE).
Continued on Page 3
Diversity Matters!
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Faculty Recruitment. Over the last 5 years, the Department has made significant changes to consider
IE in faculty recruitment. For example:
 One of the earliest changes was to create a slot in faculty candidates’ interview schedule for a
meeting with a faculty-graduate student pair from the IE Committee. This timeslot gave the
Department the opportunity to showcase IE-related efforts and to learn from candidates about
their interests in IE, particularly if IE was not necessarily central to their research agenda. In
one of these meetings, Tim Sweeny mentioned his interested in programs to teach
traditionally under-represented school-aged youth about psychological science. Since arriving
at DU, Tim has secured two grants from the Center for Community Engagement and Service
Learning (CCESL) to develop and implement a program here at DU, working in coordination
with other DU offices, such as the Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME).
 Two years ago, the faculty voted to make changes to the standard job ad in ways that now
highlight IE. Those changes include, for example, making explicit in the ad DU and the
Department’s commitment to IE as well as describing DU in the context of the diversity of the
Denver community. In AY 2013-2014, the ad invited candidates to describe how IE (broadly
defined) informed their research and/or teaching within their written statements. This was
updated in AY 2014-2015 to require an additional IE statement that is a “succinct description
of how the candidate’s research, teaching, and/or service contribute to inclusive excellence”.
 Two years ago, the faculty also voted to include ratings of contributions to IE among the
dimensions assessed when faculty and students rate candidates after the interview. The
dimensions assessed now include: Scholarship, Teaching (courses, mentoring students, clinical
supervision, if applicable), Intra-departmental collaborations/synergies, Inclusive excellence,
and Fit with program goals as defined by job ad
 Finally, the faculty voted to include an interview slot in each candidates’ schedule (regardless
of research/teaching interests) with the Associate Provost or Assistant Provost for Inclusive
Excellence. This meeting allows each candidate to learn about DU’s commitment to IE,
including related funding opportunities (e.g., IRISE).
Recognizing Excellence. In 2011, the IE Committee (with the support of GRAF) established the Inclusive
Excellence in Research Award. In 2015, the IE Committee received several outstanding papers with
graduate student first authors covering a broad range of IE topics. The winner will be recognized at the
Department Awards Ceremony.
Articulating the Value of IE. Over the last two years, the IE Committee developed two key documents
that have been shared with the department, which detail the potential value of IE in faculty and
graduate student recruiting. Moving beyond notions of IE as compositional diversity, these documents
describe the myriad ways that a more inclusive department benefits us all, across all that we do
(teaching and learning, research, service). These documents are intended as resources for the
department, providing sample questions that can be used in reviewing files and/or interviewing
candidates.
My sincerest thanks to current and past IE Committees who have been part of these efforts. When I had the
opportunity to present on some of these activities recently to the Chairs and Directors from AHSS, I learned
how some of our internal policies and practices are being adopted in other departments. To see the impact of
this Committee’s work within and outside our department is exciting; though perhaps more exciting is to
consider the ways in which we can build on these changes to improve teaching, learning and research in the
years ahead.
Diversity Matters!
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MIG Volunteer Events Pick Up Speed in the
2014-2015 Academic Year
Skyler Leonard
Graduate Student
In the 2014-2015 school year, MIG got serious about community service. We continued to volunteer at
Urban Peak, an organization that provides housing and services to young people experiencing
homelessness. This year, volunteers from the psychology department prepared and served meals at
Urban Peak on eleven different occasions. We collected donations to buy food for our one-year
anniversary at Urban Peak and were able to donate enough food for two meals purchased with funds
donated by faculty, staff, and students from within the department.
In October, volunteers from the psychology department assisted at the Emily Griffith Film Festival,
a fundraising event brining awareness and understanding to the experiences of immigrants and refugees.
In February, our volunteers braved the cold and served as course marshals at the Polar Plunge 5K
benefiting the Special Olympics. In June, our volunteer year will wrap up by serving as course marshals
during the Big Gay 5K, which will support The Center in their efforts to advocate for the LGBT community
of Denver.
This year, volunteer events benefited from increased participation by faculty, staff, undergraduate
research assistants, and even family members. MIG wants to thank all the volunteers that have made this
a successful year for volunteer events and hopes to see you all at more events in the future!
Diversity Matters!
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Department of Psychology Hosts Marsico
Social Science Visiting Scholar
Daniel Mason
Research Coordinator, Family and Child Neuroscience Lab
Gary Evans, Ph.D., Elizabeth Lee Vincent Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at the
Cornell University College of Human Ecology, Department of Design and Environmental
Analysis, and Department of Human Development served as the Marsico Social Science
Visiting Scholar at the University of Denver from March 30th to March 31st, 2015. The goal
of the Marsico Scholar’s program is to contribute to the intellectual vitality of the
University by having visiting scholars engage with both students and faculty across various
settings. Dr. Evans is a distinguished environmental and developmental psychologist whose
Dr. Gary Evans
research examines how the physical environment affects human health and well-being
among children. He has authored over 300 scholarly articles and book chapters plus five books. His specific areas of
expertise include the environment of childhood poverty, children's environments, cumulative risk and child
development, environmental stressors, and the development of children's environmental attitudes and behaviors.
During his visit, Dr. Evans had individual meetings with various undergraduates, graduates, and staff. I had the pleasure
of meeting with Dr. Evans several times during his visit. During lunch with our lab, we had wonderful conversations
about his research and general interests. I remember taking particular interest in a conversation we had about
immigration and how it was an additional factor to take into consideration when assessing the accumulation of risk
factors that mediate the effect of poverty on children. In particular, we discussed the case of Jose Antonio Vargas, a
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who is well known for his piece on “coming out” as undocumented. The psychosocial
stress that likely accompanied the news from his grandparents that he was not a U.S. citizen as well the navigation of his
physical environment knowing that his status limited him from doing things such obtaining a driver’s license or even a
job to provide income is definitely an added dynamic that has to be taken into consideration when studying this topic.
Dr. Evans also gave a guest lecture in Dr. Brian Wolff’s Child and Lifespan Development Class (PSYC2070) in addition to a
lecture on the “environment of childhood poverty” that was open to the DU community. During this community talk, he
highlighted that, although there is abundant evidence indicating this phenomenon exists, we know much less about how
and why poverty has a detrimental effect on child development. After a quick overview about the adverse
developmental correlates of poverty, he argued that the environments poor children grow up in are a key explanation.
More specifically, he argues that it is the cumulative exposure to multiple risk factors that explains why poverty is bad
for children. “Disadvantaged children are more likely than their wealthier peers to confront a wide array of physical
stressors (e.g., substandard housing, chaotic environments) and psychosocial stressors (e.g. family turmoil, separation
from adult caregivers).” according to a paper co-written by Dr. Pilyoung Kim, an associate professor in the Psychology
department at the University of Denver and Dr. Evans. Dr. Kim worked with Dr. Evans at Cornell University where she
completed her PhD in Developmental Psychology. The work that Dr. Evans has done emphasizes the importance of early
intervention programs for children living in poverty.
Diversity Matters!
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Inclusive Excellence Calendar
What?
When?
Where?
Description
For more information
Denver PrideFest
3rd Annual Big Gay
5K
Saturday,
June 20th.
10:00am
start time
Civic Center
Park, 46 E.
14th Ave,
Denver CO
Denver PrideFest and BigGay 5K
support the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender Community Center
of Colorado to create a fun,
safe space to celebrate and promote
the culture and heritage of the LGBT
and allied community in Colorado.
Denver Pridefest –
DU Booth
Saturday,
June 20th and
Sunday June
21st, starting
at 11am
June 26th,
11:30am
Civic Center
Park
Stop by and/or volunteer at the DU
booth at Denver’s 40th annual
LGBTQIA Pride festival (one of the
nation’s largest!).
E-mail
[email protected]
or sign up online at
http://www.glbtcolorad
o.org/pridefest/big-gay5k/ and join the team
called "University of
Denver MIG"
Visit www.du.edu/pride
or
www.glbtcolorado.org/p
ridefest
Margery
Reed Hall,
Room 203
CME's Thomas Walker, director of
educational programs and LGBTIQA
services talks frankly about Inclusive
Excellence. Register and bring your
lunch.
Equality Night with
the Rapids
Saturday,
August 3rd
Dick’s
Sporting
Goods Field
Queer and Ally
(Q&A) Training
Schedules
posted
online
(see online)
Join DU’s LGBTQIA Services and
various community organizations at
the Colorado Rapids major league
soccer.
Training on LGBTIQ & Ally concepts,
issues and experiences. Advance
registration required.
HR Fridays@Noon
Lunch & Learn:
Inclusive Excellence
Register via
https://pioneerweb.du.
edu/employee >
Employee tab > Training,
Professional and Career
Development.
Contact [email protected]
and visit
www.du.edu/pride
http://www.du.edu/cm
e/programsservices/lgbtiqa/qna.ht
ml